ATHENS, Ohio (April 21, 2004) -- Nearly 500 middle and high school students will be on Ohio University's Athens campus on Monday, April 26, to take part in the 2004 Ohio Future Educators of America (OFEA) 13th annual conference, which is being hosted for the first time by the College of Education.

"Join the Front Lines: Teach!" is the theme for the daylong event, which kicks off at 8 a.m. in Old Nelson Commons with a welcome by Dean James L. Heap and introductions of OFEA officers and Ohio's 2004 Teacher of the Year Kathy Rank, a fourth-grade teacher at Bennett Intermediate School in Piqua.

The rest of the day will consist of three concurrent sessions that focus on such educational tactics and learning strategies as "Financing Your College Education," "How to Create a Brain-Centered Classroom" and "How Do You Learn Best?"; a buffet lunch accompanied by entertainment and door prizes; and a closing ceremony at which awards will be given for various contests in which the students compete. The students will have an opportunity to tour the campus after closing ceremonies.

This is not only the College of Education's first year to host the OFEA conference but also the first time for the conference to be held in Southeast Ohio. The nonprofit OFEA was established in 1991 and is affiliated with the Ohio Department of Education. There are approximately 106 student chapters statewide, with more than 3,000 members. Chapters consist of students who are interested in becoming educators or who just want to be involved in a positive youth-led organization.

For more information about events of the day or about OFEA, contact Marie Robinson at (740) 597-1946 or robinsm2@ohio.edu.